Run n gun, loot n shoot. How to earn loot boxes and get skins in Overwatch.

Guide
by Hirun Cryer, Guides Writer

Updated on 9 August 2017

Overwatch Loot Boxes are what every player craves. With each new Loot Box comes the opportunity to unlock that new favorite skin you've had your eye on for that one character you always play as. But, because this is a Loot Box we're talking out, the odds aren't exactly working in your favor for you to unlock the one item you're after.

In this Overwatch Loot Box guide, we'll walk you through exactly how to earn Loot Boxes, as well as detailing some of the rarest rewards you can hope to obtain from them, on top of the real-world currency needed to purchase a set amount of the Loot Boxes.

Alternatively, if you need help on anything else relating to Overwatch, for example how to play as some of the more complex heroes like Genji or Winston, then head over to our Overwatch tips and tricks guide hub, featuring all the information you could ever need on the game.

Overwatch Loot Box Guide

Read on for info on how to earn loot boxes, what loot boxes costs, and what’s in them.

How to Earn Loot Boxes

Firstly, the most obvious way to earn Loot Boxes in Overwatch is to simply level up. You earn XP for every casual and competitive Overwatch game that you partake in, although it should be noted that you earn more XP should you be victorious in either mode, and you can bag yourself +20% XP if you squad up with a friend and play alongside them.

Mercy's Legendary Summer Games skin.

You'll bag yourself a single Loot Box every time you level up. This means that by the time you hit level 23, you'll need 23,000 XP to progress a single level, which can be somewhat time consuming, especially if you're on a losing streak, or you don't have any friends around to play with.

What do Overwatch Loot Boxes Cost?

Alternatively, you can spend your hard earned real world cash on Loot Boxes in the virtual world. We've put the pricing structure for Overwatch Loot Boxes just below:

2 Loot Boxes - $1.99

5 Loot Boxes - $4.99

11 Loot Boxes - $9.99

24 Loot Boxes - $19.99

50 Loot Boxes - $39.99

It's worth bearing in mind that, just because you paid real money for an Overwatch Loot Box, this doesn't increase your chances of receiving a Rare or Legendary item within.

What Does an Overwatch Loot Box Contain?

Simply put, a single Overwatch Loot Box can contain just about any unlockable character item in the entire game. This can range from skins, be they common or legendary, to sprays that can be plastered onto any surface in an Overwatch game by your character. There are actually some items, most commonly sprays, that can only be obtained through unlocking achievements/trophies for Overwatch. For example, the Mercy Cute spray is only unlocked after you resurrect four teammates at once, and can't be unlocked through Loot Boxes.

Mercy's Cute spray lives up to its name.

However, there are some items that can only be unlocked in Loot Boxes during certain Overwatch events. There have previously been Overwatch Holiday, Halloween, and Summer Games events, during which players can hope to unlock some seasonal skins for certain characters in Loot Boxes. The Tracer skin seen just below was only available in Loot Boxes during the Summer Games event, which lasted for just a few weeks.

Tracer's Legendary Summer Games skin.

After an Overwatch event has come to a close, you'll no longer be able to find the skins or other items pertaining to the event within Loot Boxes. So if you want to unlock that certain special skin for your favorite character, you'd better get levelling up quick during the Overwatch event.

Overwatch's Summer Games event has returned for 2017, bringing a host of both brand new and older skins back into the Loot Boxes for a limited time only. To find out what exactly is new in the event, head over to our Overwatch Summer Games 2017 event.

This is all the information you could possible need on Overwatch Loot Boxes, so now all that's left is for you to either try your best at winning as many games as possible, or to open up your wallet.

Hirun Cryer is by far the most juvenile member of USgamer. He's so juvenile, that this is his first full-time job in the industry, unlike literally every other person featured on this page. He's written for The Guardian, Paste Magazine, and Kotaku, and he likes waking up when the sun rises and roaming the nearby woods with the bears and the wolves.